this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2024
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US Authoritarianism
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I'm not American but, “the other party would do worse” is not a very… powerful argument. Even if true.
unfortunately it is for a two party system. if you don't vote Dem, the only lesson they'll take from it is "oh, people must want more conservative positions" and go further right.
the solution to this isn't to not vote Dem, it's to elect representatives that align with more leftist positions, which to the credit of democratic voters, has been happening more than in any time in history.
that is partly thanks to a new generation of people who don't fall for the red scare propaganda that previous ones did, and leftism and socialism being less stigmatized.
What really amazes me is how set up to maintain the status quo 'murican politics is. Political parties have to be registered on every state, otherwise they don't "exist". Gerrymandering ensures voting districts are always drawn in favor of specific parties. Delegate votes means popular vote isn't as important. Even fucking Brazil is more democratic by comparison.
don't forget that the election is on a Tuesday and a lot of people can't take a day off, and there's serious push to limit or remove early voting.
forget brazil, a lot of countries Americans would see as "shitholes" are actually more democratic in their process. they think they have it better because they don't have an obvious strongman on top (though that may change now, we'll see) but the people's will has been systematically suppressed more and more over the years. the boot of corporations has been firmly pressed on the neck of the public to make sure they can't raise their head for long enough to breathe, let alone participate.
https://youtu.be/OFi73TzEN_8
My country isn't a two-party system, but I have often to vote for parties I hate to to prevent the extreme right from coming to power. Fuck I even did that a few weeks ago. If I were American I would vote for the Dems, but I would criticize them harshly, as I criticize harshly the parties I have to vote for here.
This is one of the things a Primary is for. It I’ll almost certainly vote Democrat in the general election, but well before that I’ll vote in the Democrat Prinary to raise my voice for a more liberal or Progressive candidate.
For Biden’s first term, I do believe the strong showing for more left wing candidates like AOC and the popularity of the “Green New Deal” influenced the platform for the better, even if those candidates weren’t chosen to represent the party